Becoming Bridge
by InsertDecentNameHere
Summary: Life is always tough for first time parents. But in the case of Daniel and Lily Carson, their lives got a lot tougher than normal when their son Bridge came into existence, particularly as his powers develop. This is their life; filled with all the arguments and drama as they struggle to discover the true importance of what it means to be a family.
1. Prologue

**Becoming Bridge**

** Prologue - Meetings, Partings and Reunions**

Their meeting had been nothing out of the ordinary. As fated meetings went, it wasn't much of a story to tell years down the line. She had been a librarian working in NewTech City's Hall of Records; he was a trainee scientist looking for some reference books. He'd had a small accident in which an entire shelf of documents collapsed on top of him, she'd come rushing to help and an hour later, when everything was put away in their proper place; he'd asked her if she wanted to get some coffee.

From then on, it seemed that the two met practically on a daily basis; he'd always seemed to have forgotten some sort of book, so they'd share some small talk. A month into their friendship, they'd learnt copious amounts about one another:

Her name was Lily, his was Daniel. Yes, her hair was naturally wavy and yes, she was indeed a brunette with natural highlights, it was indeed possible for such a thing to exist. Daniel agreed with her statement that he needed a haircut, but expressed to her a desire to grow it out long enough for someone in the lab to comment. Yes, he always looked a little disheveled, with his dark brown hair sticking up in every direction imaginable and his shirt never properly tucked into his pants, due to long nights and the most 'experimental' experiments imaginable. He had a great laugh, a primary school sense of humor and he always had a mischievous glint in his bright green eyes. She was only working at the library for a few months more, until she could apply for a large publishing firm to work as an editor. He was an intern for a lab working specifically in genetics, on a project that, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively, he described as 'classified'. She loved cupcakes, he loved toast. They both agreed that green was the best color, that the best superpower is super speed, and they both agreed that Daniel spent far too much time every day flirting with Lily than actually looking for reference books.

It took her three months to identify the stomach-flipping sensation she felt when he entered the library as a kind of crush, and another three to act on those feelings.

After a half a year of knowing one another; Lily told him she had two spare tickets to the newest Star Wars reboot, with no one to go with. He asked her if this was a date, she replied yes.

It had been the first time she'd seen him wear anything but a dreary shirt, tie and pants, and she thought jeans suited his slender figure rather well. He seemed more vibrant, if that was possible, in his own clothes.

She swore that she'd never learnt so much about the inaccuracies of light speed time travel and the portrayal of flesh wounds in mainstream media than she did in that cinema with Dan. Halfway through the film, as the man was pointing out the 20th flaw in the circuitry of the Millennium Falcon's cockpit, she decided to shut him up for good and kissed him. When they pulled apart, all thoughts of the movie's inaccuracies were long forgotten, and for once, the dark haired boy was speechless. He stared at her, wide-eyed and open mouthed. She smirked.

The next day went by like lightning for Lily.

"You seem cheerful, Lil'," Maria, the library's one and only tech-support employee stated, eyeing up the smaller girl. "Good night yesterday?"

"The best," she replied, another wide smile creeping up on her as she remembered Dan's expression. "I think I just discovered a new way to rule the world."

"Boys," the blonde woman replied, chuckling and continuing her work.

A year into the relationship, Lily had left the Hall of Records, and found herself working for a big-time, no-nonsense firm by the name of Longboat Publishing. She found herself wearing a suit to work, and discovered that punctuality was everything when it came to meetings. The pay rise was appreciated, she told Daniel, but the hours were long, and the commute horrific. There was no way she'd ever be able to keep it up.

It was then that Dan came up with a plan.

"You know," he told her, leaning on a pile of boxes in an attempt to look suave. "You could always, well…move in to my place…"

It was at that moment that one of the boxes the boy had been leaning on gave way, causing the brunet to trip and fall profoundly on his backside.

"Whatever you say," Lily managed to say in between fits of laughter and gasps for breath, "boy blunder. Though knowing you, I'll have to keep the place from falling apart too."

The following week, they had officially moved in together.

Lily was right, of course. The place, to put in the most frank of terms, was a state of chaos. In contrast to her apartment back in the outskirts of NewTech City, which had been spacious, clean yet slightly disorganized; Dan's place was tiny, cluttered with filing cabinets, spare files, chemistry sets full of most likely illegally home-brewed explosives, and now with a new tenant, piles upon piles of book manuscripts. Yet (according to the crazy scientist himself) everything in the place was well organized for he knew where each document or odd piece of equipment was kept. Lily told him she'd cope, but she'd gained many bruises in the first few weeks from tripping over random objects, in the rush to get out the door and, in turn, Dan gained far too many paper cuts from attempting to sort through his own papers and hers before he left for work. Often, they'd enter the office with each other's documents, and not notice until an assistant or manager pointed it out. They argued, as couples often do, in small spats about the dishes and whose turn it was to leave out the bins for collecting. Other than that, they seemed completely at peace with one another.

Another trait that the couple had in common was their overall disdain for cleaning, and so, the apartment remained like this for another ten months, until Dan was nearly killed by a rogue filing cabinet by the front door losing its balance and crashing into a misplaced flask of an unknown chemical compound. If he hadn't been in the equally cluttered bedroom catching up on another restless night at the lab, he would have been undoubtedly hospitalized.

It was then with a heavy heart, and a missing wall to their apartment, that the landlords ordered the young couple's eviction.

Their relationship reached a rocky point from then on. They each had to move back in with their parents until they could 'find their feet', which meant the commuting was worse, their parents got frustrated with them and the little spats that the couple had grew into full blown arguments with an unnervingly increased frequency. Their fights were almost daily, over the smallest of things, almost always beginning with simple teasing which escalated into full-blown arguments. Neither of them were happy when they finally found a new apartment.

Their position as tenants of the new apartment lasted only a month, before they called it quits and went their separate ways.

Life continued at a slow, monotonous pace for the two of them for the next two years. They met other people, changed employment, (with Daniel working at a privately owned research lab and Lily at a smaller, calmer publishing house) and life went on for the both of them.

However, they were left with a vacant, unidentifiable feeling within them. Everything seemed so…normal and slow since the breakup. Perhaps that was what drove them to visit the Hall of Records that day; perhaps that was why they seemed unsurprised to find each other there.

"Hey," Daniel began, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "I…how are you doing?"

Lily looked up from the manuscript she was reading, trying her hardest to suppress her smile.

"Bored," she responded, her level-headed hazel eyes twinkling with amusement, "you'd think after five re-writes, the guy would start improving his narrative skill."

A few moments of soft chuckles between them, a few more of awkward small talk before Dan got to the point.

"I miss you."

"Dan-"

"There's an apartment with a vacancy I checked out last week. Really nice; close to my work, probably close to yours too if you take the NewTech Central Line…the rent's too high though, I'll have to find someone to split it with," he began, sitting beside her as she fully closed the manuscript.

"I missed you too, mop-head," the brunette responded, gesturing to his somehow even messier hair than before. "Hey, we won't know till we try, right?"

Daniel didn't even attempt to suppress his wide grin; lighting up every aspect of his features and making Lily feel that stomach-flipping sensation that she always used to have when he walked into a room, "Yeah!"

Needless to say, this time, things worked out.

He had taken the initiative to create a narrow pathway between the mountains of filing cabinets, experiments and any other odds and ends so she could sprint with ease out of the apartment and to the train station in the morning, and she'd gotten him a smart pair of black leather gloves to act as a barrier between his delicate hands and the daily-pillars of paperwork. They argued less, and laughed more. The days went by faster, and the sun shone brighter.

Four years went by before he asked her 'the question'. It was, by nobody's definition, romantic. She'd gotten onto the train as the doors were closing; he was just a step behind her. She wedged herself between the closing doors just the right amount of time for him to leap in, and realize he'd forgotten his briefcase. With a smirk, she raised the rugged, black abomination to his eye level.

"You saved my ass, babe," he told her, taking the briefcase and kissing her tenderly. "What do you say about marrying me?"

"I'd say yes."

One year later, Lily and Daniel became Mr. and Mrs. Carson.

Their story had been nothing out of the ordinary. Many people have lived this kind of life, and many shall in the future. It was only two years, 9 months and 16 minutes later that their lives became something different.

That was the moment Bridge Carson was born.

* * *

**Hey there! Well, that was the prologue for this story 'Becoming Bridge', which I'm sort of treating as my big project, even though I only expect it to be about 10 chapters long. **

**One thing I've noticed when re-watching SPD was the lack in parental back-story to the main cast, other than Sky and Cruger, which is fine, since I love to speculate. Loads of fics on here like to focus on a tragic, abandoned childhood for our favourite man in green, and I love them so much, but at the same time I feel it doesn't really suit his attitude towards life. I sort of feel that he grew up amongst a family who really do care for him, and that's what shaped into the guy he is today, hence 'Becoming Bridge'!**

**Special thanks go out for my super-special-awesome beta reader Hunter10600 for being the world best proofreader! And to the inspiring Increasing Paranoia who's helped me with the summary, came up with the title and general moral support!**

**Hope to see you next time!  
**


	2. Chapter 1 - Birth

**Disclaimer: Power Rangers is not mine (duh) and all canon characters belong to their respective creators. This is entirely me toggling around with some of the ideas hinted at during the course of the show.**

**Special thanks go to my amazing beta reader Hunter10600! Confidence booster extraordinare!**

* * *

Daniel Carson woke up in a good mood.

Wait, scratch that. Daniel Carson woke up in a _great_ mood. Sunbeams gently shone through the curtains and into the room, highlighting the bright colours of the cluttered furniture and giving the otherwise messy and uncoordinated room a graceful tone. The weather had just begun to turn to the overly dreary and damp feeling that late autumn brought about, so a ray of sunlight had already put him in good spirits. What put him in a great mood, however, was the soothing patch of warmth heating up the left side of the bed. Rolling over towards the source of the warmth, the man wrapped his arms around the waist of the figure that he had come to be familiar with, albeit over the past nine months said waist had gotten slightly larger. Well…a _lot _larger in truth. The woman looked pretty much like her uterus was about to burst any moment.

"And a good morning to you too," Lily Carson remarked, her voice slightly raspy and hushed, as it always was when she just woke up, "Mr. Touchy-feely."

"I just wanted to see if I could wrap my arms all the way around this time," he explained, humour etched into his tone of voice. "I couldn't, by the way."

"Oh, trust me," the brunette replied, "I know."

He chuckled, before removing his arms from his wife's waist slowly and groaning in aggravation, "What time is it?"

"Later than it should be," she replied frankly, a sly smirk creeping across her features; although Daniel couldn't see it, he knew his wife well enough to know it was there.

"Wipe that grin off of your face, sweet-cheeks," he told her, slowly moving out of the warm, secure biome that the bed had created and stepping onto the far too chilly wooden floorboards of the bedroom. "Not all of us can stay in bed all day."

Now it was Lily's turn to roll over. Carefully changing her position as she lay in bed to now face her husband, her grin widened. "Not all of us are going to be going through labour,_ dear_."

"Don't get used to it."

"Happily," she replied, propping herself into an upright position. "You'd be surprised how awkward it is to manoeuvre around this tiny place without bumping into things, especially with this," she pointed to her round belly, "sticking out!"

Daniel looked around the room nodding towards Lily before grabbing a newly ironed shirt off of the pile of crisp, white clones in the right hand corner, and his pants which were draped over a chest of draws in the left hand corner. Glancing at his wristwatch, which he kept on at practically all times, his eyes widened significantly and suddenly his movements rapidly increased. In a few moments, he was fully dressed and ready to leave. Before he went out the bedroom door, he turned back to his wife, green eyes shone with a twinge in concern.

"Are you going to be alright while I'm out?" he asked, keeping his hand on the doorframe.

"I'll be fine," she told him sternly, an eyebrow raised and another smile tugging at the corners at her lips. "Nothing's going to happen for weeks yet, and besides, Maria's coming to visit in a few hours so if I get another migraine she'll call you, ok?"

"Alright."

"Quit looking so glum!" Lily told her husband, whose brow had fixed itself firmly in a scowling position. "It doesn't suit you!"

"Your wish is my command," he replied, immediately changing his frown into a bright grin, before softening into yet another look of concern. "Seriously, be safe."

"I'll be _just fine, _dumbass."

* * *

Turned out; she wouldn't be _just fine._

At about midday, Daniel got a phone call. The receptionist, Clara, at the front desk rushed into the lab, without warning, and nearly crashed into an experiment, phone in hand. Her bright blue eyes were wide with panic as she handed him the phone, her only explanation; "An emergency, sir."

On the other side of the line, an unfamiliar female voice suddenly bombarded him, force feeding him panicked information. As the voice continued to speak, their sentences came out faster and faster, and her voice more and more strained, until each word was simply melding into the next. From that minute and a half of speech he could only manage to pick out a few specific words.

"_Maria…friend of Lily…your wife had…then collapsed…gone…labour…baby…hospital…preterm…danger ous…hurry." _

He didn't know how he ended up in his car, driving at the very edge of the speed limit as he rushed to the NewTech hospital. He didn't even bother to get a parking ticket as he leapt out of his car and sprinted towards the hospital's double doors. His hands were shaking violently as he waited impatiently in the reception. He was immediately recognised by another anxious woman waiting in the foyer. The lean, blonde woman ran up to him, spurting out panicked information about various doctors and medical procedures. Instantly the dishevelled green eyed man recognised the high-pitched, raspy voice as the same from the previous phone call. When he finally managed to form a complete sentence, his voice came out as strained and panicked as the woman on the phone had been.

"Where is she?"

"I'll take you to her," and without saying another word, Maria grabbed Daniel's wrist and dragged him through the hospital. The woman's trembling frame and constant anxious glances didn't go unnoticed by Daniel, but he avoided drawing attention to it. He didn't want her to give an explanation. He didn't want a confirmation of his worst fears.

It felt as if the two of them had passed a thousand corridors before the small blonde took a sharp turn and dragged him down one of them, into a separate hospital wing. A fleeting glance at a nearby sign told Dan that they had entered the 'Maternity Ward'. Maria then stopped, abruptly. Before she let go of the man's wrist, and collapsed on a nearly row of seats.

"Now what?" Dan asked, tentatively sitting down beside Maria, eyes focused on a poster across the hallway. The woman in the shining image was smiling earnestly, looking out at the viewer. In her arms there lay an equally happy, healthy looking baby; rosy cheeks and all. The image unsettled him, but he couldn't look away.

"Now," Maria replied in a sigh, as if the ordeal were over for them both, something Dan prayed he could believe "we wait."

Five hours, six cups of coffee and ten spouts small talk later, another woman, this one in a crinkled set of scrubs and a pale green cap, as pale as the scales adorning the wrinkles around her eyes, strode down the corridor and stood before the two ragged individuals.

"Daniel Carson?" she asked; her voice deep and raspy. It was jarringly calm and reassuring. Dan's head jerked up at the sound.

"Yes?"

The alien woman's eyes were almost as startling as her voice; they were a bright yellow, brighter than a field of buttercups, they looked incredibly young compared to the rest of her aged features. If it were possible, her eyes seemed to shine as she looked down at the shabby man. He stood up, if only in formality, to receive whatever news the woman brought.

"My name is Lana Caligula. I'm the head of midwifery at NewTech City's hospital," the woman explained. "Your wife's case was…uncommon in this day and age, but not unmanageable. The baby came on three weeks early, Mr. Carson. You must understand how rare such a thing a preterm birth is, there was indeed a high risk that mother or child wouldn't survive...However, I am proud to announce that with the aid of our fine staff, both mother and child are alive and well. Congratulations."

Daniel stood there, for once in his life utterly speechless.

"It's a boy, Mr. Carson."

* * *

Dan entered the hospital room silently, looking upon the figure that lay in the white bed, like an island in the middle of the equally off-white room. His wife was paler than usual as her normally warm hazel eyes which seemed to light up her features remained closed as he entered, and watching her chest rise and fall, her breathing was slow and deep. He walked over to the bed, his tight-fitting work shoes squeaking on the pristine floor of the cleanly but emotionless room. Her eyes did not open as he sat down beside her, but when he took her hand in his, she squeezed it, tightly. She was tired, but alive. Tired, yes, but never weak. Her grip told him that much.

He smiled, softly, before placing a gentle kiss on her pale, sweaty forehead.

"Well done," he whispered, earning a gratifying smile from Lily, her eyes still shut.

"Now comes the hard part," she joked, her voice breathy and quiet. "What name should we give a boy we intend to tease the rest of his life for being impatient?"

"We should be evil parents and name him Xavier Pickles III."

"What about Buckwheat? It's what I was craving throughout this entire ordeal."

"You're allergic to Buckwheat."

"I _know_."

For a brief moment, their laughs lightened the heavy atmosphere shrouding the room.

"We need to thank Maria," Dan began, tightening his grip on the brunette's hand. "If she hadn't been there when you-"

"Where is she?" Lily asked, opening her eyes slowly, squinting at the bright light the white walls reflected.

"In the hallway. Shall I get her?"

Lily didn't even need to respond. No sooner had she opened her mouth than Dan had opened the door and ushered the blonde woman inside.

"Hey Lil'," Maria began, trying her hardest to appear calm and casual whilst looking down at Lily lying in a hospital bed. "You look…"

"Terrible," Lily finished, chuckling. "I know. Thank you so much for…everything. Calling Dan, sorting out everything medical-wise, trust me, I wouldn't be in this bed if Dan has been filling the forms-"

"Hey!" Dan exclaimed.

"It's the truth, dear," Lily replied dismissively, "knowing your organisation skills, I'd have ended up on the amputation list…Anyway, Maria. Words cannot describe how grateful we are that you were there."

There was a pause between the three, before Maria's cheeks reddened and she scratched the back of her neck.

"What are friends for?" she responded, her face reddening to a shade brighter than an SPD ranger suit. "Besides, anyone else would have done the same thing…filling out digital forms is nothin' nowadays...I'm just glad you and the babe are okay."

"Got any ideas on the name?" Dan asked, grinning with amusement at seeing the blonde girl so flustered.

"I-" Maria began, chocolate brown eyes widening with realisation, "what?!"

"We've got nothing so far," Lily expanded, chuckling. "I think we need another perspective, all we can think of are things which we'll tease him about in years to come."

"I…erm…" she began, pinching the bridge of her nose in thought for a few seconds. Her expression changed drastically every few seconds as she internally bashed around ideas, from disgust to shock to consideration. Finally, she spoke."Well…my big brother's name was Bridge, an' he was a great guy…he helped fund my college fees by workin' part-time…I'm sorry, his name's the only thing that's comin' to mind!"

"Bridge…" Lily repeated, turning to her husband. He nodded; his smile small and confident. "It's a fine name…Bridge it is, then!"

* * *

Bridge himself remained in a hospital incubator for the first month of his existence; pretty much clinging onto life by the skin of his teeth. He was monitored constantly to ensure that his weight gain was steady, and every few weeks his parents were allowed, nervously, to take him out and hold him. He was tiny. Smaller than babies should be; as Lily and Daniel Carson held their son, their tiny, tiny son, they worried. Every second Bridge spent in the hospital was another moment of uncertainty for his parents and for the doctors on whether he would survive the week.

However, against all odds, he made it through. His weight gain was steady and constant, and gradually, he grew in size until he was determined to be in a 'secure' enough state for him to be taken home.

That day, for the first time in a month, the Dan and Lily walked back to their apartment with their heads held high, a baby securely in their arms, and a sound sleep.

Well, that was, until 3am, when he began to cry, and the two began to properly exercise their parental duties.

They could not have been more relieved to hear a baby cry than that first night.

* * *

**So that's the first official chapter! For some reason, I researched more on premature births, the causes of them, and the affects on both mother and child far in far more detail than was needed...I learnt more than I do in a biology class! If there are any inaccuracies tell me so and I'll correct them!**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed the prologue! Reviews are always appreciated!**

**Also, I'm planning updates to be weekly, but if there is a disruption to the schedule (from too much homework, laptop crashing etc...) I'll do my best to inform ya'll in advance, either in an author's note (like this) or on my profile.**

**See you next time!**


	3. Chapter 2 - Problems arise

**Disclaimer: If I owned Power Rangers, any of their canon characters or merchandise, I would be a very lucky person...**

**Special thanks go to my amazing beta-reader Hunter10600, for working even though their laptop's been confiscated! They've put their reputation on the line to steal a computer and edit this! So, thank you!**

**Also, a huge thanks go to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, people who've published stuff on this site know how much reviews mean to us writers, and how after publishing a new chapter you start to refresh the page over and over until you get your first review...or maybe that's just me...Thank you regardless!**

**Also, today is Armistice Day (11th November) which is a pretty big deal in the countries of Europe (not so much in the USA) so today if you live near a graveyard try and find your town's war memorial...I live in a tiny village but even so our memorial has so many names, most of them being related to one another; fathers and sons who never came home...**

**Anyway, on to Becoming Bridge! ENJOY!**

* * *

The first few years with Bridge were pure bliss.

Well, as much pure bliss as being a first time parent would allow between the uneven sleeping patterns, the constant wailing, and the unimaginably atrocious mess babies made that is.

When Dan and Lily merged accounts after marriage, Lily quickly discovered that Dan was being, in her humble-yet-not-so-humble opinion, far overpaid for doing what was essentially blowing things up and plotting results tables under controlled conditions for a living; with him earning twice as much as she was. Thus, after looking over the accounts and making the necessary calculations, she decided that they would be stable enough financially on simply Dan's pay-check and their joint savings for Lily to take the first few years of Bridge's infancy unemployed.

In truth, before she had Bridge, she had detested the concept of housewives. Her grandmother had been one, and according to her mother, she had never been happy with her situation. Her grandmother, from what she remembered, had been a naturally sociable creature; she would have adored working in a small shop or a florists. But, rather tragically, her grandfather had pretty much dictated what she did after marriage; if he wanted her to stay at home and raise Lily's mother and uncle, that's what she would do. Her grandfather was rather controlling in that manner; being an executive businessman did that to you, her mother always said.

However, this matter was different. For starters, originally, Daniel had been against the notion; he didn't want Lily to feel caged, she supposed. Truthfully, she had been on the fence about the idea up until the moment Bridge was finally born. Unsurprisingly, having your child born prematurely and facing the concept of him not surviving the month made you a protective parent. In a way, she was scared. Scared of not being there for those 'landmark' moments parents always bragged about. Scared of not being able to hold him, like when he was put in that incubator. Scared of not feeling like a real mother. She far more introverted than her grandmother ever was, so staying home didn't seem like that much of a struggle for her. She could still read, so she was content.

As such, Lily went to work on the apartment. Files that were previously filled to the brim with unfinished manuscripts and the odd fully published book were chucked out and replaced with piles of baby-books and chests full of toys. Despite how much she hated cleaning, her conscience urged her to vacuum the apartment once a week, in case Bridge ended up sick due to her negligence. Dan was still unhappy about Lily's new-found status of housewife; but after a few months he came to accept it and, in all honesty, was rather content with being the breadwinner for the family, though he'd never say it aloud.

Maria visited often, becoming Bridge's unofficial aunt; she had the perfect amount of energy and high spirit to deal with the toddler when Lily was feeling under the weather and needed some time for herself. Alongside Lily, Maria taught Bridge how to read and write before he could even walk on two feet. Maria had been there was Bridge said his first word, which unfortunately Lily couldn't recall, but Maria proclaimed it was in fact 'Deoxyribonucleic Acid' and joked that Bridge used the same mumbo-jumbo as his father, she was there when he first wrote out his name in full, even when he took his first steps. Bridge was always the kind of child to emulate the emotions of the people around him, so having Maria, who was always positive and upbeat, was a great influence for him, Lily thought.

It was when Bridge began walking that it appeared Dan's clumsy nature was, in fact, genetic. It was a nightmare trying to keep the toddler in check, since he proved to be not only running into walls frequently, but at a surprisingly fast pace. In the first week he learnt to walk, he had crashed into the TV a total of three times, into the doors eight times, and solid walls six times. When asked why, Bridge couldn't explain it. He simply told them "Blurry colors!"

That's when the problems first started to show up.

Originally, Lily thought it was a simple problem with his sight. Without telling Dan, she took him to three separate opticians, all of with found no abnormalities with his vision. She then proceeded to get worried and anxious, which of course only made Bridge get worried and anxious, which only make Lily even more worried and anxious…the cycle goes on.

After a few more months of these 'blurry colors' blocking her son's vision, Bridge told his mother that he could see more clearly now; that the colors inside the house had faded so he could see; so they stopped going to opticians. He no longer ran into walls daily; just weekly as his father did in a rush. As the weeks went by, and more abnormalities appeared, Lily had come up with a theory:

Bridge had a way of expressing himself, Lily concluded, by describing people using colors. Unless it was someone he knew, like Mommy or Daddy or Aunty Maria, he would simply call them by their color. The most common ones he used were orange, yellow and orangey-yellow. It seemed to Lily that he could pick up if someone was feeling off, and no matter how hard they tried to hide it, he would say they're blue, grey or even, if they were hung-over –such as she had been one night following a party with Maria, the human alcohol tolerance machine - green. No amount of happy smiles and false expressions of joy could get past him. It was as if he could see any attempt to pull the wool over his deep blue eyes.

She didn't tell Dan though. For her, it didn't seem like an issue that needed to be brought up. He was simply good at seeing if people were upset. No need for alarm. Many children could read adults' pure emotions; so what if he expressed it through colors?

Still, she couldn't stop herself from feeling anxious. As he grew older, under a slightly concerned Maria's guidance she began taking Bridge to a local day-care centre and spending her afternoons chatting with the fellow mothers. They all thought young Bridge's personality was slightly odd, but like Lily, brushed it off as simply a toddler's strange quirk and happily let him engage with their own children. Bridge was a sociable child, spending plenty of time play fighting with the boys, but equally happy to spend time reading stories of spaceships and princes of distant planets with the girls. He eagerly told the other children what colors he saw around them, and they in turn happily told him that he was strange; but didn't mind. He was popular with the day-care children, and made friends easily.

For a while, everything was fine.

But, as the famous saying goes; 'All good things must come to an end'. It was when Bridge turned three that his behavior became truly worrying. The Carson household had decided to celebrate Bridge's third birthday by throwing a small party in their communal garden, shared with all the other tenants in their apartment block; all the neighborhood kids were there, some of which Bridge knew from his mornings in day-care, but many of which Bridge had never seen before. The atmosphere was light and exultant, with small children running all over the place and toddlers crawling around their mothers, staining their clean knees a dull green from the fresh grass. Brightly colored balloons were sprinkled into the corners of the cramped garden, giving the square compound the typical party image as seen in Hollywood movies. There was even a foldable table in the centre of the chaos bestowing a large, rainbow-covered cake which Daniel had made himself in the late hours of the night, as a surprise to both wife and son.

The couple were in the middle of a conversation with Maria and a slightly pudgy mother of three when they heard it; Bridge's scream. It cut through the atmosphere of the party like a knife through paper. The heads of every adult in that garden instinctively turned towards the source of the shrill cry. The noise had only been there for a second before there was silence. Lily ran.

She ran to the centre of the garden, the crowd surrounding her son parting like the red sea. In the centre of the crowd lay Bridge, clutching his head, his fingers woven between the locks of his messy light brown hair. His breathing was rapid and uneven, and every few seconds Lily heard a light sobbing hiccup. There was a small girl standing next to him, her pale green eyes wide with panic as she looked down at the boy who was barely bigger than she was, looked up at Lily standing over the two of them, then back to Bridge.

"I-I just," she stuttered, fighting back tears as she looked up at Lily's equally panicked expression once again before turning back to the boy. "We we're p-playin' tag…I j-just touched h-his hand…and then he-" the girl was unable to finish her sentence. She burst into tears.

Lily stood there, paralyzed as she watched her son's continuous sobs. She didn't even move an inch when Dan moved through the crowd, picked Bridge up and began walking back inside. She flinched when Maria walked up to her, placed a gentle hand on the woman's shoulder and took her back inside the apartment block. Lily vaguely recalled Maria's sugar-coated voice muttering countless apologies as her soft push guided the brunette to the door. It was only once they were inside that she had processed what had just happened.

Bridge has ceased his sobbing, and was now asleep in his father's arms. Holding the three year old awkwardly in an effort to balance both him and the apartment's keys without disturbing the boy's slumber, he eventually managed to open the door and let the group of four inside.

"Let me take 'im Dan," Maria began, already transferring the young boy into her arms. "Don't ya' worry, I'll put the little man ta' bed," as she finished her sentence, the blonde was already entering the child's room, leaving the couple alone.

"W-what just-" Lily began, sitting down slowly as she looked up at her husband. Daniel looked like he was in control of the situation, but if she had to describe it his expression was disturbingly unsurprised considering what just happened, if anything he looked frustrated with the situation. It was as if he'd expected something bad to happen. That couldn't be right though. Why would it be?

"Someone touched him," she said, relaying the information as she tried to make sense of it. "He made skin contact and he…broke down. Dan, what does this mean? What happened to Bridge?"

"I'll tell you what happened," Dan replied, his voice laced with irritation and frustration as he remained standing, pacing back and forth. "Bridge – our son…something's wrong with him!"

"Nothing is wrong with him!" Lily declared; her voice rising uncontrollably, before catching it last minute and bringing it back to a harsh whisper.

"Then, please," Dan replied, his the volume of his voice rising as Lily's had done before, until she raised her eyebrows at him and he lowered his voice once again "explain to me why our son just had a mental breakdown when a little girl tapped his hand? Do you have an explanation? Please, feel free to share; because I sure as hell don't!"

"Erm…" Maria trailed off, entering the room to come face to face with the scene of the couple's argument, silencing the both of them as she shuffled awkwardly towards the front door. "Maybe this is a bad time…Well um…Bridge is sound asleep. I'll let m'self out."

"Thanks, Maria." Dan said, an expression of true gratitude on his features. "You've saved our asses yet again."

She chuckled, not bothering to reply formally as she shut the door. "Don't I know it," she muttered to herself.

Once Maria had left, the couple resumed their argument. However, neither of them were nearly as fired up about it than they were before Maria walked in.

"Lily," Dan eventually said, his tone of voice far softer than before, with an underlying tone of something – perhaps guilt? – which she couldn't identify. "I've been keeping something from you.

Back when we first met, years ago; I was working on the development of new ranger technology for SPD…it was classified information so I couldn't tell you…my team were pretty successful though at achieving our goal. That's why you can see our SPD team fighting alien mercenaries today. But…we were being exposed to a lot of unsafe chemicals…maybe, that's our explanation."

Lily remained speechless.

"I'd heard from the others that there were complications from the research," Dan uttered as Lily's eyes began darting back and forth, putting all the pieces together. "No-one could have possibly thought that there would have been a genetic defect that would affect our children. Something that would-"

"Make Bridge…like Bridge?" Lily finished; her voice meek.

"Yeah," he replied, dejected. There was a moment of utter silence between the two of them, before Dan spoke up again.

"I know someone," Daniel explained, sitting down beside his wife gently as he took her slender hand in his. "I know her from back when I worked in SPD; her name is Doctor Manx…she's the best genetic researcher I've ever met. She's…a genius when it comes to this kind of thing. I'll make some calls. She can-"

"She can what, Dan?" Lily asked, swallowing back her panic. "Run some tests? Hook him up to a bunch of monitors…for god knows how long, for what? Just so we can-"

"Understand what's going on with our son," Dan finished, silencing Lily's hysterical moment as she looked up at him. His eyes were showing her absolute conviction; an expression she rarely saw on her husband's face. "Lily, something's wrong with our son. We have to face that. But, if there is something, anything, we can do to help Bridge, no matter what it is; I'd do it in a heartbeat. And I know you would too."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because I know you love him," he told her. "Just as I know you love me."

* * *

The SPD headquarters was huge. The building itself was less than a year old, so the windows shone brightly and the entire structure seemed to glow with pride. It stood in the centre of New Tech city, and already in the space of a year became a symbol of security and pride for the planet. As Lily stood before the enormous double doors of the command centre; she couldn't help feeling nervous. Even with her husband and child beside her, her instincts were still screaming for her to turn around, leave everything behind and run. Still; she'd made her decision.

"You ready?" Dan asked, studying his wife with calm green eyes.

Taking in a deep breath, Lily took Bridge's tiny, bandaged hand in hers. She'd never felt his hand to be as small and fragile as it had been in that moment. Even with the layers upon layers of cloth between her skin and his, she still worried that she was affecting him. Thinking the most positive and calming thoughts as she could, she turned back to her husband.

"Ready as I'll ever be," she replied, taking the first steps, opening the large door and walking inside.

"We're here to see Kat Manx? We have an appointment."


	4. Chapter 3 - Regrets

**Hi guys! Eek I can't believe it's Monday already...Well, to brighten up the beginning of your week here's the latest chapter of Becoming Bridge!**

**Ok, very quickly, I want to give you a heads up that I'm going by a popular fan theory that Wes Collins is Sky Tate's father. It's only briefly mentioned here, as more of a nod to you guys, but if you don't believe in this theory I just wanted you to know it will be only briefly mentioned about...2-3 times in the entire story. **

**Right, enough blabbering. On to the story!**

* * *

Dan found it disturbing that Kat Manx, his former boss, apparently hadn't aged a day despite almost half a decade passing since their last meeting.

Everything else had changed; the command centre had expanded, the long hallways filled with bright eyed, eager recruits and there seemed to be twice as many rooms as he remembered. It was disorienting. Scratch that, as the secretary had led the family deep into the heart of the SPD headquarters, Dan couldn't help feeling that if he were working alongside Dr. Manx now; he would undoubtedly get lost and never end up in the lab he was supposed to be working. Even the main lab, which remained in the same location of the building now looked so much cleaner and had significantly better technology since his departure, so it was a bit strange to see the cat-like alien appearing exactly the same as she did all those years ago. Actually, no, it was_ extremely_ unnerving to see her exactly as he remembered her; she had not gained even a single wrinkle on her features.

Bridge didn't seem to entirely understand what was going on, he looked vacantly around the lab, other than his bright blue eyes widening at the array of advanced technology on display, just above his reach on the counter-tops, he didn't seem to realise just how incredible the lab actually was. Nor did he realise how rare it was for citizens to be allowed in here…still, he was only three years old, so it was expected for him to be clueless.

"Lovely to meet you; I'm Kat Manx, Daniel's former colleague," Kat said, extending a hand warmly to Lily, which she took cautiously. "When he worked here, Daniel was among our top research scientists. You've very lucky to have him for a husband."

"Thank you," Lily replied, smiling -if somewhat awkwardly – at the alien. "He really is great, a great father too…funny, he didn't mention you were so…young."

The alien woman chuckled politely, "I assure you, I am far older than the both of you, though I appreciate the compliment. Now, shall we begin?"

Kat wasted no time to begin testing; she worked thoroughly and efficiently, setting Bridge on the centre counter-top, checking his reflexes by using the age-old technique of hitting his tendon with a knee hammer. Once she was satisfied, she nodded once at the parents, before turning back to Bridge, flashing him a warm smile and proceeding to take blood and spit samples. The examination itself was over within five minutes, now came the analysis.

Bridge himself; who had remained silent throughout the entire medical examination was let down from the counter and returned to the welcoming arms of Lily Carson; who, despite all attempts to appear otherwise, was giving off an air of discomfort and nervousness around the Doctor. Perhaps it was because of her startling appearance, or that he had never mentioned to his wife said colleague until a few days ago, Dan wasn't sure. Even so, the atmosphere was uncomfortable, to say the least.

Dan walked over, cautiously, to the scientist as she placed the samples in their separate containers on the other side of the lab. Kat, who's feline senses had already detected his approach from behind her, smiled to herself.

"Your wife seems nice," she stated, placing a drop of Bridge's blood sample on a glass sheet, "if a little nervous. Still, she's not nearly as jumpy as you were on your first day here, at least."

"Funny," Dan stated, running a hand nervously through his scruffy dark brown hair. "Thanks for agreeing to test the little guy, by the way."

"Not a problem," she replied, sliding the sheet under a microscope.

"You seem awfully," he paused, searching for the correct word, "familiar with this testing process."

"Believe it or not," she stated, looking into the microscope. "You're one of the last of the team to come back here, children in tow."

"Seriously?!" he exclaimed, keeping his voice down as to not disturb the scientist as she handled the microscope; he broke one once after being spooked by a flask falling over, and he didn't want to be in that much debt again, frankly. "Who's left?"

"Only Mandy."

"Wait…so that means-"

"Yes."

"Wes finally-"

"Indeed."

"But what about the time travel-"

"It's complicated to say the least," the scientist stated, cutting the wide-eyed man off. "Now, if you don't mind, go back to your wife; she'll need her husband with her as I explain."

* * *

It was that moment that Dan's worst fears were confirmed, with startling accuracy.

According to Dr. Manx, Bridge had indeed developed a genetic ability as a result of Dan's SPD experiments back in his 20s. It seemed, according to her, that all of the people who worked on the development of Earth's SPD technology had been contaminated with a recessive gene which altered their offspring's genetic makeup, giving them odd abilities. For some it would be duplication, others it could be the ability to make force fields. For Bridge; it seemed like he had developed Psychometry or, in layman's terms, the ability to see the basic 'aura' of a person and any strong emotions they emit through colors. What color each emotion and aura is presented as, Dr. Manx couldn't say.

However, she did tell the couple that there were some ways to 'dim down' the colors the boy sees in day to day life. After the physical examination, she explained, she was able to determine that his powers were 'leaking' through his hands; therefore, if he wore protective clothing, he'd be able to control what he sees far more easily than before. She noted the bandages upon Bridge's hands, and commented that it was a step in the right direction, but recommended purchasing a pair of leather gloves.

They stayed there for a few more minutes, asking a few trivial questions which Kat revealed she couldn't answer without several more examinations, something both the Doctor and Daniel could tell Lily wasn't prepared to agree to. Then, the couple thanked the scientist profoundly, and took their leave.

By the time they arrived back to the apartment, Dan noticed that Bridge's movements were getting slower and his eyelids were drooping. He was exhausted. Picking up the little guy, Dan took his son back to his room. Looking down, Dan's eyes met with Bridge's bright blue ones. They say the eyes give away far more about how people feel than any other kind of body language. In that moment, he was sure Bridge saw just how terrified Dan really was.

Daniel set down Bridge upon his bed, kissed his forehead quickly, and rushed out of the room. He then immediately collided with Lily, who had been waiting patiently outside the door.

"Will we be ok?" she asked. Her voice was small, and something told Dan it wasn't just because she didn't want to disturb Bridge's slumber.

"I don't know," Dan replied, taking her hand in his tenderly.

The brunette responded with a meek smile, before letting her husband's hand go and entering their bedroom.

* * *

The next day was spent finding Bridge a pair of gloves. Dan had always hated shopping, so spending hours upon hours inside a dreaded department store, searching for a suitable pair of leather gloves really wasn't his cup of tea. Lily, fully understanding this, had chosen a weekday to go out shopping, meaning that even if he wanted to be there, he had to work. His wife had planned for him to get too distracted with work to think about his son, and for that, Dan was thankful.

The only problem with this plan was that day had been a relatively slow day for the research centre. The mountains of paperwork that Dan had been avoiding had finally caught up with him, at the end of the non-existent paper trail stood his secretary, hands on hips; face tomato-red with anger and frustration. Thus, he had been locked in the dungeon that is his office, with only piles upon piles of paperwork for company. When faced with boredom the mind begins to wonder. It was on the third pile of forms Dan was filling out that his thoughts turned to Bridge.

It was his fault. There was no denying that. When he first signed up for SPD research, he, alongside all the other employees, had been warned of the chance of side-affects. He didn't listen. And now look, here he was, married to a beautiful, strong woman who wanted nothing more to do than to have a great life with him, but being with him, having a child with him had only made her life so much harder. Dan was no fool. He knew that Bridge's powers would stop both him and Lily from ever having a truly normal life, from ever having a truly normal family. It was because of him, and he didn't know if he could fix it.

He came home three hours later than normal, worn out from a day's work. His hand ached from hours upon hours of writing, but his headache was far worse. He trudged his way through the hallway, dropping his suitcase, hat and coat on the way, and leant against the door frame of the living room. Bridge was in the centre of the room, donning a brand new pair of black leather gloves and ecstatically playing by himself in front of the TV. His head turned towards his father in recognition as Dan entered the room, but other than that Bridge seemed utterly immersed in his own world. At that moment, the ragged man felt a slim hand place itself upon his shoulder, and looked behind him, slightly startled. It was Lily, her hazel eyes calm and collected.

"How do the gloves look?" she asked, smirking.

"Great, actually," he replied, "how much were they?"

"More than you want to know," Lily stated simply.

Dan chuckled, before responding ,"Forget I even asked."

There was a silence between the two of them as they watched Bridge play without a care in the world.

"Do you regret it?" Dan asked; his normally confident, cheeky tone of voice caught in his throat. He refused to look at his wife, instead focusing on Bridge. "Being with me? Having Bridge turning out like…Bridge?"

Lily didn't hesitate. Just like she did back when she was in the hospital, right after Bridge was born, she took his hand in hers, and squeezed. Dan liked to think of it as a reminder that she was strong; that she could handle whatever life threw at her, that she'd be there with him all the way.

"Never," she replied, also focusing on Bridge as he played. Her voice was quiet, just loud enough for Dan to hear her, but every word she spoke was brimming with certainty. "Not for a second."

* * *

**Jeeze I'm cheezy...but hey, I like cheese. It makes me feel warm and fuzzy.**

**Anyway, I hoped you enjoyed this chapter! Did you enjoy it? I kind of liked writing it, but I assure you, the best is yet to come! Please, feel free to leave a review down below!**


	5. Chapter 4 - Move

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything, once again. This is a fanfic in which I'm simply attempting to expand the SPD universe.**

**Special thanks go to Hunter10600! The world's best beta-reader!**

In the thirty two years Lily Carson had been in existence; she had read a lot of books.

Growing up, she had been moved about frequently as her parents relocated. During those painstakingly long journeys between house to house, city to city, and sometimes, even planet to planet, she had tried many different ways of entertaining herself. When she turned twelve years old, she discovered that the best way to keep entertained was in fact reading.

At the age of fifteen, she'd read romance novels, biographies of countless famous actors, sportsmen and political figureheads, science fiction novels, horror stories and fantasy tales of every kind. Her life had been submerged in words written upon paper. From that point on, she was never seen without a book of some sort by her side.

Working part-time in NewTech City's Hall of Records had only worsened her addiction to literature. The library, by law, contained every piece of writing officially published and patented on planet Earth, which meant that she had far too much time within the Hall's four walls to resist spending her breaks, and sometimes even her official working hours in the corner reading a good book.

Becoming an editor for a publishing firm had been her life ambition; if only because it gave her the chance to get paid for reading. Her reading speed was substantially faster than the majority of her colleagues, and as a result she became known as one of the only editors who met their deadlines without fail.

Turns out, when you read a lot of books, you pick up on a lot of common themes.

Every story has a message that the author wants to convey to the reader; no matter how subtle that message may be put across. As her boss had told her on her first day working in the Hall of Records; the written word is never innocent. Every book, no matter what target audience, no matter the subject, no matter the genre; they all carry with them a purpose.

In practically every novel Lily had read one message that she had always picked up on was the danger of intolerance for change, and the consequences prejudice had against those who are different.

Looking down at her son; beautiful, intelligent Bridge…Lily knew her son was different. She'd known it since he could walk. Different, yes. But physically…defected? Never. Of course she had tried to deny it; as all mothers tried to do. But now that he'd been tested by Dr. Manx, a prestigious scientist, she'd forced herself to face the truth.

Dr. Manx was nothing if not professional. She'd worked quickly and competently, and quickly identified what the problem was. It was as if she'd done that kind of testing before, which confused Lily and made her feel uncomfortable to think about; to believe that others had gone to Dr. Manx, other mothers as terrified as she had been…she pushed the thought out of her mind.

Still, from the moment the genetic – issue – had been discovered and announced to herself and her husband, Lily knew exactly what to do. She'd go on as normal. She'd strive to give Bridge a normal life. She'd keep him away from further testing, away from subjecting her son to becoming a scientist's playground.

The moment she'd stepped into that lab, Lily noticed the shine in the alien's eyes; it was a glint she knew well. She had a craving for knowledge and desire to explore her subject's abilities more. It unnerved her, seeing someone look at her son in such a way. She was unsettled in the Doctor's presence then on. Call it a motherly desire to protect her offspring, a sixth sense for the danger the alien woman presented, but there was no way she'd let Bridge anywhere near that woman once they left that lab.

Since arriving back at the apartment, Lily had been doing a lot of thinking. The evening had passed as normal; Bridge going to bed early on and leaving the couple to eat, watch TV and converse together. That day, however had been different. Bridge remained the same, going to bed early and falling sound asleep, but Lily and Dan didn't do much else after that. They ate in silence, neither of them paid much attention to the presenter on the TV, and they didn't utter a single word to one another the entire evening. In that time, Lily began to ponder.

She thought about Bridge, about what it must feel like to be so…different. To see a world as a mesh of colors must be quite the experience, she supposed. But she worried too. NewTech City was thriving with people. Strong, opinionated people who poured every essence of their souls into their present emotions, and it didn't take someone like Bridge to find that overwhelming.

She worried, as all mothers do, about her son; perhaps more so than normal mothers. She worried how he'd cope in such a harsh environment NewTech City was for those unprepared; filled with hundreds upon hundreds of people. _God only knows_, she thought_, how could he cope in NewTech's school system, wherein the classrooms are filled to the brim with children._ It was at that moment, Lily made her decision. Her personal resolution. That moment, Lily knew what she had to do.

Without even realising it, Lily had been pondering late into the night, and had actually changed into her nightdress, kissed her son goodnight and gotten into her bed with Daniel in a dream-like state. She had done all of these things subconsciously, without having to switch her brain on at all as she performed her nightly rituals. Lily lay there, in her bed in pitch darkness, lying next to her husband without even knowing when they switched the lights off.

"Dan," she whispered, breaking the four hour silence the two had sustained. She rolled onto her side, staring into the black abyss the darkness of the room enveloped the two of them in, facing what she presumed to be her husband's back. Or his front. She couldn't tell.

"Lily?" he replied from within the darkness. His voice was slightly distant. Right, so she was facing his back then.

"I think we should move."

"Lily, I'm not sleeping on your side of the bed," he joked, "I'm 100% sure that I'd be sucked into the dent you've made in the mattress."

"No, Dan," she replied, ignoring his teasing, "I think we should move out."

Dan paused.

"…why?" he enquired. Lily still couldn't see a thing within the darkness of the room, but she presumed his expression was not one of pure joy. "What's wrong with-"

"This place?" she finished, letting out an exasperated sigh. "Well…everything, to be frank. It's too small, for one thing."

"Alright then," Dan replied, shifting his position in the bed. "We can get a bigger place downtown if that's what you-"

"Not downtown," she interrupted. "Too many people."

"What do you mean 'Too many people'?" he demanded, his voice quiet, but becoming strained. "This is NewTech City, Lily. People are everywhere."

"I know, Dan," the brunette replied. "It's just…I think that Bridge would be…overwhelmed. If he stayed in the centre of the city, like we do now."

"So what do you want us to do, Lil'?" he asked, irritation laced into his words. "Move into some house in the suburbs and let Bridge lead some kind of isolated existence until he's 30?"

Now it was Lily's turn to be silent.

"Oh," he responded.

"Look," she replied. "I know that it seems like some kind of horrible decision-"

"I'll say!"

"-but if Bridge is going to have some…any kind of normal life in the future, he's going to need to learn to control his…ability. I don't want our son to grow up in such a…crushing place as the city. You know what it's like growing up here; you have to be _tough._ Bridge isn't tough, Daniel. Right now, he's so _weak_ he can't even handle the touch of someone's hand. It's our job, our _duty_, as parents to give him a _chance_! A chance to get stronger!"

"Lil-"

"It won't be forever. Just long enough for him to get a control of himself; for him to find out what kind of man he wants to become. Please, Dan. I'm begging you."

Dan didn't speak. Lily swore she heard the cogs inside his head begin to whirl around as he processed what Lily was asking of him. She knew that what she wanted to do was a big ask. A move like this would not only affect their day to day lives; it would completely turn it on its head. She understood that; she understood why Dan would say no.

However, not for the first time; Lily's husband completely surprised her.

He sighed, a deep, utterly obliging sigh, before speaking.

"Well," he stated, "I suppose if we ever _are_ going to move, now would be the time to do it."

Three months later, the apartment had replaced its ornaments and furniture with crates and boxes, taped up and ready for the big move. Dan weaved his way expertly through the obstacle course of suitcases in his daily rush to leave the place, kissing his wife tenderly as she handed him the only thing left unpacked; his briefcase. It was their last day in their home of seven years. Lily would be lying if she said she didn't feel a sense of melancholy at leaving; but simultaneously she felt a great sense of excitement at starting somewhere new.

The new house was larger than their previously packed apartment, with each of the rooms being at least twice the size, and it had their own garden. Over the years that garden would become cluttered with toys, tidied up, redecorated several times and gain a tire swing…but we're getting ahead of ourselves.

The neighbourhood residents were welcoming, though there weren't many children on their street for Bridge to play with, and the school was quite a drive away. In reality, the majority of people who resided in the area only purchased the properties were for when they retire or for a nice, brief break away from the claustrophobic aura of the city. A large yard and driveway separated every house on the street, keeping each resident's personal space intact. In short, the place gave Bridge the isolation he needed during those first years.

Quite quickly the new, clean house managed to get cluttered and disorganised, as it was indeed a true sign that the Carson's felt at home in their new residence. The previously white walls were covered in scuff marks from daily escapades around the house, and once again it seemed that every shelf, hallway and closet was filled to the brim. On the rare occasions someone outside the Carson clan would enter the place, it was an absolute certainty that at one point or another, they would bang into some strangely balanced pile of files.

Everything was great. No more shocking discoveries, no more disrupting events. It was fine for the family, but a nagging part at the back of her brain made Lily slightly miss the chaos she had become accustomed to. Not enough to move back to a place which made Bridge's abilities worse for him, but it did make her think more seriously about the possibility of returning to work.

Life continued like this for another year, with Lily still pondering her decision. She knew that going back to work would be hard on everyone, and they may have to hire a child minder for Bridge. That was the main issue; who would be capable to taking care of Bridge without freaking out over his abilities.

Days passed into weeks, and weeks turned into months, yet Lily still hadn't made up her mind. She was in the middle of one of her increasingly frequent internal debates on the subjects whilst the three were in the middle of dinner when the doorbell rang; a noise the woman almost completely overlooked until she saw her husband getting up out of his chair with a grunt, snapping her out of her trance.

"I'll get it," Dan announced, ruffling Bridge's steadily growing mop of chocolate-brown hair on his way to the door. A few moments later, he called "Erm…Lily! Someone's here for you!"

Getting up out of her seat, Lily walked down the hallway. In the doorway, there stood a woman, her clothes filthy, platinum blonde hair tangles as if she hadn't used a comb for days. She looked feeble, meek, and most startlingly, ashamed. Her dark brown eyes refused for a moment to meet those of Lily's, but when she did, hesitantly, Lily immediately recognised who the woman was. It was Maria.

"Hi," Maria said; a weak smile upon her lips. "I need to ask ya'll for a favour."

Two hours, and three cups of coffee later, Maria explained everything.

"I got fired," she told them, avoiding the Carsons' gaze and choosing instead to focus her vision on the coffee mug she had in hand. "I argued with my boss. He said 'The company decided to lay off some people, Maria' and then, just like in one of 'em movies, declared me redundant. Lil' knows that my relationship with my Ma and Pa is…complicated so I can't go to 'em…and my siblings I ain't seen for years now…I didn't know where else to go to."

"You can stay till you get back on your feet, no problem," Lily said, looking towards her husband with a poignant gaze. "Right, Daniel?"

"I tried stickin' it out by myself, Dan," Maria interjected, "I was out there for a couple of days, out in the streets…But, as ya' can see…that weren't the best of situations I was in."

"Stay here as long as you need to, Maria," Dan told her, standing up and fetching the poor woman another cup of coffee.

"Aw, I dunno' about that, Dan," she replied, another weak smile gathering across her features as she followed the lanky man's movements. "I think I'll only stay the night."

She remained in the Carson's care for the next five years.

* * *

**Hi guys! Hope you enjoyed the latest chapter. Well, I have good and bad news for you.**

**The good news: From now on, the story gets really good! It'll be lots of fun for me to write, and hopefully you to read too!**

**The bad news: I won't be updating next week, I'm afraid. I've been so caught up in competitions and essays that I've been unable to get writing. Sorry!**

**See you in a few weeks time! Don't forget to review and tell me what you think!**


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